Nucor Corp Nucor Steel Div

Industry: Iron and Steel Mills

Toxic chemicals emitted by company

Definition: Manganese is used to produce pesticides, batteries and other industrial products. Although trace elements are found in food and are considered essential for good health, overexposure for long periods can cause mental and emotional disturbances and slow and clumsy body movements -- a disease of the brain called manganism. Children are more vulnerable to such exposures than adults. EPA says that it cannot be determined if there is a link between manganese and cancer.

Definition: Lead in the air comes from mining, manufacturing and burning fossil fuels. Lead has been banned from gasoline for more than a decade and has been removed from most paints. Children are more vulnerable to lead poisoning than adults; swallowing even small amounts of lead can cause anemia, muscle weakness and brain damage. Adults exposed to high lead levels can suffer high blood pressure and damage to the nervous system. EPA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services consider lead and its compounds a probable or possible carcinogen. Source: EPA, HHS

Definition: Nickel, a metal, can be combined with other metals to make coins, jewelry, and stainless steel. People working in nickel refineries or nickel-processing plants have experienced chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, and lung and sinus cancers. EPA classifies nickel refinery dust and nickel subsulfide as human carcinogens.
Source: EPA, HHS

Schools affected most by company

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, University of Massachusetts Amherst

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QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE

What if my school ranks high? Should I be alarmed? What do I do next? Can I test the air myself? Get answers.